Steven Dye seemed perfectly healthy with no symptoms before he was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.
“I had gone to visit my doctor for my annual physical,” said the Ann Arbor native. “Not sure how I got it. I never had any symptoms, and I wasn’t diabetic.
Steven was in stage 3 kidney failure for over ten years before he dropped to a stage 5 within a matter of months. He needed a kidney. Soon.
“I had talked to my wife about it, and she was actually a match,” Steven shares. “But at the time we didn’t have any kids, and the doctors weren’t sure how it would affect our future family if she donated.”
At the time, Steven worked at the Ann Arbor Police Department, where he served his community for over 23 years. He had stopped by to chat with his colleague, Jaime Crawford. While venting to each other, Steven shared that he needed a kidney.
“It was just a casual complaint,” he said. “She asked if anyone could donate and said that maybe she’d look into it and chat with her family.”
And she did. She called Steven soon after and said she would be moving forward with the process. Jaime wasn’t the only one who wanted to help. Two other colleagues had started the donation process. Jaime had started the process first and was a match.
“As a first responder, we are in a unique field,” Steven said. “You have everybody’s back. You might not all be best friends, but everybody has the mentality of taking care of each other.”
Steven received his transplant in 2019, thanks to Jaime’s generous gift of a kidney. In 2021, Steven and his wife welcomed a daughter.
“It was a blessing overall,” he said. “Because of Jaime, my wife was able to be my primary caretaker during that time and be there for me after my transplant.”
A registered donor since he received his driver’s license as a teen, Steven shares that he has always had that sense of helping others if he could. As a kidney transplant recipient, that includes sharing his story to help others.
“Jaime and I have shared our story publicly to encourage others to be a living donor,” he said. “I’ve actually had others reach out about it, including another police officer out in California.”
In 2024, Michigan passed the Living Donor Tax Credit, covering up to $10,000 in expenses for those who make the selfless decision to donate their kidney or part of their liver. More than 2,500 people are on the organ transplant waiting list in Michigan, and 90% of patients on that list are waiting on a kidney transplant.
When asked what the new tax credit means to those waiting for a transplant, he says, “It’s honestly just awesome. You’re asking a lot of someone.” As for living organ donors, Steven says, “For those who do it, I can’t say thanks enough.”
Another reason Steven shares his story is to help clear up misinformation that exists within his community.
Currently more than 26,000 Black Americans are on the kidney transplant waiting list nationwide. Kidney disease disproportionately affects Black communities, stressing the urgent need for organ donation and equitable healthcare solutions.
“In the Black community, I think it’s important,” he said. “Kidney disease is a lot more prevalent. Out of eight of my fraternity brothers, three of us have had transplants. There are so many different myths out there. I try to share my story to dispel those and to encourage donation for others.”
To learn more about the living donor organ donation process visit golm.org/livingdonation. To sign up on the Michigan Organ Donor Registry, visit golm.org/donate.
